ATMuse> The Music of Multicultural America 
 
from "Klezmer Music: The First One Thousand Years." by Henry Sapoznik, pg. 87-108
In The Music of Multicultural America 
Edited by Kip Lornell and Anne K. Rasmussen
 

1995, New York City. Kapelye with Henry Sapoznik.

Among the many genres of dance tunes found in the klezmer repertoire played over the years are those tune associated with the Hassidim. These tunes, introspective to start with, then slowly accelerating to a wild and feverish tempo, reflect the tradition of ‘trance dance’ so emblematic of the charismatic Hasidic community. These particular tunes, ‘Berdichever Khosid’l’ (the Khosid from the town of Berdichev) and ‘Mazel Tov Mekhutonim’ (Congratulations to the parents of the bride and groom) were learned from classic recordings made by the orchestras of Israel J. Hochman and Abe Schwartz, respectively, both in the early 1920s in New York. As these are condensed versions of what one might hear at a Hasidic celebration, they only hint at the power and enthusiasm found in dances which characteristically would last over an hour or more. 

Four casually dressed musicians play their instruments while another man films them.
KlezKamp: The Yiddish Folk Arts Program 1985 shooting a scene from the documentary film “A Jumpin’ Night in the Garden of Eden” (1987). Left to right: Hankus Netsky, sax, Joel Rubin, clarinet, Henry Sapoznik, banjo, Marc Smason, trombone. Photo courtesy of Living Traditions, Inc.

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